Blood
by MidnightFire14
Summary: Who is this strange girl Mustang brings to the boys? Begins after the Nina incident in Central.
1. Chapter 1

**I won't really give vivid descriptions. To really know what I'm talking about, you need to have watched the series. Reviews and suggestions are encouraged. Let me know what you think you should see in the future chapters, guess what might happen, or just let me know what you think so far. Thanks :) Oh and my (the writer) thoughts will be in bold, flashbacks in italics.**

*Ed's POV*  
>I sat with Al outside of the State Alchemist building in Central. His body, a suit of armor, was reflecting the sun. "Brother, what are we waiting on?" Al asked, looking at me. "Mustang said he needed to talk to us," I said. "I just passed the exam though…I want to get out of here." Al looked out onto the crowd of people. "I see him," he said. I looked out. Roy Mustang was walking toward us, holding the hand of a girl no more than Al's age. We stood up as they got closer. The girl had black hair that went down her back, some of it in her face. Her eyes were blood red. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt and white pants with what looked like to be red paint stains. Her grip on Mustang's hand was strong, like it could crush his gloved hand. "Ed, Al. This is Viper," Mustang said. She looked at us, furrowing her brow a little as if she didn't know if she could trust us. Mustang looked at her and smiled. "She's just about as tall as you Ed," he said. Anger rose up in me. "IS THAT A SHORT JOKE?" I yelled.<p>

*Viper's POV*  
>I took a step back as Ed yelled at Mustang. I looked at Al. Al looked at me. He, noticing me staring, quickly looked away. Ed was still yelling, annoying me. "Stop yelling at my papa!" I yelled. Ed stopped and looked at me. "Papa?" he asked. He looked at Mustang. "It's a long story," Mustang said.<p>

**Yes it was short. I know. Don't worry. The next chapters should be longer. :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**In this chapter, there will be the first flashback. Any break between sections means it's a different flashback. So if there's space between two paragraphs, equals different flashback. And any none italics will be Mustang's voice telling the story.**

I leaned on Papa, sitting across from the Elrich brothers at a cafe. "So? You gonna tell us?" Ed asked. "Who is this girl?" "Her original name was Angel," Papa said. "I found her a year or two ago."

_I sat with my parents, my hair tied back in a long braid and wearing a purple dress. My mother, an older version of myself only with blue eyes, hugged me. My father, a tall, muscled man, looked at us from his chair._ "Her father was an alchemist. He taught her everything he knew." _"You should've seen her today," my father said. "She was perfect." "I made flowers," I said, looking up at my mom. "Roses." My mother smiled. "That's great sweetie," she said. "I'm proud of you." I smiled._

"But then, her mother fell ill and died." _I sat next to my mom, her lying in a bed. "Mama, get up," I said grabbing her hand. "Baby, I would if I could," she said. "But you can." I said. My father sat in a chair, his head down. "Papa. Make her get up." He said nothing. My mother started coughing. She sat up, coughing hard. Suddenly blood came from my mother's mouth, some drops splattering onto my face. "Mama..." I said, in a quiet tone. She fell back, dead. "Mama!" I screamed._

"Her father had a sick idea. He kept training Angel." _Flowers rose from the ground, thorns sticking out. I smiled. "Again," my father said, standing behind me. I looked at him and then to the hundreds of flowers already in the yard._ "She'd do the same transmutation over and over again. When she hinted at wanting to stop, he'd beat her." _I fell to my knees, panting. "Again," my father said. "Papa, I've done that transmutation over fifty times," I said. "I'm tired." He walked toward me. He pulled me up by my hair. "Papa, let go!" I cried. "It hurts." "You will do as I say," he said. "Do you understand me?"_

"After a few days, he found out something special about his daughter." _I fell to the ground, my lip bleeding and my stomach hurting from his latest punch. "Patch up that lip," he said, standing over me. "I need a bandage," I said, out of breath. "Make one," he said. His face suddenly changed to shock. My blood, that had dripped onto the ground, was glowing. It morphed into a tiny bandage. I picked it up. 'My blood...just transmuted,' I thought. I looked at my dad, who had an evil smile on his face._

"He tested her, and she passed each one. Her blood was an equal exchange for everything. That's when it went terribly wrong." _"Papa...I don't know about this," I said as he finished his preparations. "Angel, think about it. Your blood is the last thing we need," he said. "Don't you want your mother back?" I looked at the transmutation circle. My father knelt down next to me. I felt him grip the back of my shirt. I felt cold air hit my back as he tripped the back off. "Right over your heart," he whispered as he traced his finger on my back. He put his hands on the circle. It glowed. All of a sudden, my dad ran, screaming. Black tentacles, or something close to that, came from the circle. I turned to run but it grabbed me. I saw my father sitting in the corner. "Papa!" I screamed, reaching out to him. I felt a black tentacle dig into my back, right at my shoulder blades. I screamed in agony. It pulled, ripping the skin and muscles off my back. _"Someone heard the screaming and called us. When we got there she was on the floor, her back completely ripped off. You could see her bones and organs. But there was a thin veil of blood. And then, something amazing happened." _My hands, coated in my blood that was covering the floor, glowed. My blood started moving, going to my back_. "Her blood transmuted into a new layer of muscle and skin. It was like nothing had ever happened." _I slowly got up and looked up. A military official stood in front of me, looking shocked. I sensed movement behind me. I looked behind me and froze. A monster stood where my mother should've been. It was coated in blood. I slowly walked over to it. I held out my hand. Blood glowed and floated to my hand, molding into the shape of a pistol, soon transmuting into one. The creature looked at me. "You're not my mama," I said. I shot the creature, right between its eyes. I dropped the pistol and dropped to my knees, tears welling up in my eyes. I cried. Arms wrapped around me. It was the military officer. I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried into his chest. He picked me up and walked me outside._

"I decided that she would stay with me. Though she didn't make it that hard," Papa said. "She wouldn't let me go." He looked at me and smiled. "I became her father. I protected her. "So she's your daughter," Ed said. "What happened to Angel's father?" "My name is Viper," I snapped. "I'm far from an angel." "So what happened to **Viper's** dad?" Ed asked. "He was arrested," Papa said. "He was going to be executed but Viper put a stop to that." "Why?" Al asked. "If he treated you so horribly, wouldn't you want him to be executed?" "I want to kill him myself," I said. "So he'll suffer." The brothers stared at me.

*Ed's POV*

'_How can a girl, Al's age, be so...so dark?'_ I thought. Viper had a dark look in her eyes, creating a shadow on her face. She looked at Mustang, and for a split second she looked as if she was going to kill him. Immediately her eyes and faced brightened. "I love you Papa," she said, hugging Mustang. _'This little girl_,' I thought. _'I feel like she's going to kill him.' _

**Let me know if you could follow the flashbacks. If not, I'll try to make them easier.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Also, it will stay in the last person's POV unless it's noted that it changes.**

I watched Mustang as he carried Viper on his back. Al walked beside me. "What's wrong?" he asked. "It's that girl," I said. "I just get a bad feeling from her." "Well Mustang trusts her," he said. "Shouldn't we trust his judgment?" "I'm not sure if he'd be able to find anything wrong with her," I said. "She's willing to kill her father. Her own flesh and blood." "But you heard about how he treated her," he said. "Doesn't matter Al. It's still her father," I said. "A girl her age should never have her mind set on killing her father." "So what are you thinking?" he asked. "Tonight…" I said. "We're going to see her father."

*Viper's POV*

Papa let me down off of his back. I saw military officers running up. "Colonel Mustang," they said in unison, saluting. "What is it?" Papa asked. "You're needed at Central," one of them said. "Understood," he said. He looked at me as the men left. "Viper, I want you to stay with the Elrich brothers," he said. He turned to the boys. "If anything should happen to her, you'll deeply regret it." He walked away. "Bye Papa!" I called after him. I looked at the brothers. Ed stared at me, slight hostility in his eyes. "So, Viper, what do you want to do?" Al asked, trying to break the tension. "Alchemy," I said. "Not happening," Ed said. "Since Mustang is gone, I'm in charge. You're going home." "I don't think so," I said. "I am not taking orders from someone like you." "Yes you are. Go home," Ed said. "Neither of us wants you with us anyway." He turned his back on me and started walking away. Al hesitated. "Brother!" he called after his brother. He ran after Ed, his armor clanking.

*Ed's POV*

"Brother, we can't just leave her," Al said, running up to me. "We have to, Al," I said. "We can't go see her father with her." "Well why do we have to go see him?" Al asked. "He can't be the best guy to interact with. He beat Viper and tried to sacrifice her." "We have to see what he knows. He could have valuable information," I said. "And we need to know more about Viper. Information Mustang wouldn't know. She killed the creature that was supposed to be her mother. She has the ability to transmute her blood into anything. She attached herself to Mustang." "But Brother. You killed whatever we transmuted. And Mustang saved her," Al said. "The blood thing is a little weird but some people are special. You can do alchemy without a circle." "That's another thing Al," I said. "So does she."


	4. Chapter 4

Al and I walked into the prison. "May I help you?" a guard asked. "I'm looking for the man who tried sacrificing his daughter for a human transmutation," I said. "He's not here," the guard said. "He's to be executed." "But his daughter wouldn't allow that," I said. "Even so, he is still to be executed," the guard said. "He should be held on death row." "Would I be able to see him?" I asked. "Just flash that pocket watch and you will," he said. I nodded. Al and I left. "Brother, do you have the feeling that we're being followed?" Al asked. "Don't be so paranoid Al," I said. "Who would be following us?" WE got to the maximum security building. I showed my pocket watch and we were let in. There were lines of cells. "So this is death row," I said. "But which one is her father?" "Maybe he's at the front since they're just waiting for the ok," Al said. We started walking down the line, getting hateful stares from the prisoners. I kept my composure while Al seemed to be nervous. "Calm down Al. They can't get loose," I said. "Even if they did, there's no way they'd be able to take us down." Al nodded. We got to the end of the line. In the cell, a man sat in the farthest corner. "Excuse me!" I called. He looked our way. "Are you Viper's father?" I asked. He didn't respond, just kept looking at us. "Brother, I don't think he knows her as Viper," Al whispered in my ear. I nodded. "Are you Angel's father?" I asked. He got a strange look in his eyes, like he was excited. "My Angel? Is she here?" he asked, coming toward us. "No she's not. She's at her new home," I said. "But we have some questions about her." "Where is my Angel?" he asked. "We need to know how she became so ruthless! How she can transmute with just her blood as an exchange!" I said, getting angrier. "We don't have much time here!" "My Angel..." he whispered. He ran a hand through his hair and straightened himself, taking a deep breath. "Her blood...Her blood can regenerate quickly, even when outside her body," he said."When it pours from her body, it...it increases its quantity on its own. When her body senses even the slightly blood loss and it recovers from it. It is so her body is never without the same amount of blood." "And her ruthlessness?" I asked. "She had the ability to kill what was supposed to be her mother. She wants to kill you." "She doesn't have emotions," he said. "My Angel…I'm afraid I made her…a monster." "What do you mean?" I asked. "Excuse me," a voice said behind me. It was the guard from the front. "You need to go now." "But we're not done," I said. "I'm sorry. But these are orders from Colonel Mustang," he said. I clenched my fists. "Come on brother," Al said. I looked back at Viper's father. "Fine," I said. "But we're coming back." We left, followed closely by the guard. "We'll get our answers," Al said. "I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

Al and I headed for the prison. "Mustang seemed pretty angry about this Ed," Al said. "Maybe we shouldn't go back." "He was only angry because we left Viper," I said. "He doesn't care if we speak to her father or not." "Do you think Viper would care?" he asked. "Of course she would. We're looking up information on her," I said. "But it doesn't matter. She was in bed last night. She doesn't know." We reached the prison and went in. We headed for the cell, the other prisoners snickering at us. Inside of the cell was nothing but blood staining the floor, walls, and ceilings. "Wha-What happened?" I said. "He was murdered last night," a voice said. Mustang walked up to us. "What do you mean murdered?" I asked. "We had questions to ask him." "We found him today. It looked as if a wild animal got a hold of him," he said. "Even the other prisoners wouldn't talk about it." "A wild animal?" I said. "What kind of animal? How did it get in?" Al asked. "What about the greater security this place is supposed to have?" "We don't know what happened," Mustang said. "Something just got in." "Maybe it was Viper. She wanted to kill her father," I said. "Viper was in bed last night," Mustang said, defensively. "Are you sure?" I asked. Mustang stepped to me. "Are you accusing her of something?" he asked. "Because you better have evidence if you are." "I'm just saying it's possible," I said. Mustang walked away with a glare. Al looked at me before we followed him back to his place. Viper walked into the doorway, her hair slightly messy and a black nightgown on, as we walked into the house. "Where were you?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. "Death row," Mustang said. She looked at him. "Why?" she asked. "You know why," I said. Her eyes glanced at me, anger flashing in them. They went back to Mustang. "Your father was killed last night," he said. She froze. "What?" she asked. "There's blood all over his cell. There was nothing left of him," he said. She ran out of the room without a single word. "Viper!" Mustang called after her. He turned to me. "Still think she did it?" he asked. He ran after her. Al looked at me.

*Viper's P.O.V.*

I stared at myself in my mirror. There was a pounding on my door. "Viper?" Papa called. "Go away!" I yelled, looking at the door. I looked back at the mirror. There was a tiny spot on the mirror. It started cracking. I put my hand on the mirror. "Stop." I said. I could hear it cracking. "Stop!" I yelled. The whole mirror cracked. Blood started dripping from my hand. I looked at my palm. A deep wound leaked blood. The edges glowed and closed together, leaving no trace of the wound except for the blood left on my hand. "Viper? Are you okay?" Papa asked on the other side of the door. "I'm fine," I said, my voice slightly hoarse. "Let me in," he said. I walked over to the door and opened it. He bent down to my eye level. "What's with the blood?" he asked, holding my hand up. "The mirror broke," I said. "It cut my hand." "What happened to the cut?" he asked. "It healed itself. Just like the others," I said. He looked over to the mirror. "Well...How about you fix it?" he asked, smirking at me. I nodded. I went over to the mirror, smudges of blood on it. I put my hands on the edges and closed my eyes. The mirror glowed and my blood moved to the cracks, filling them in. The glowing subsided and the mirror was whole again, the blood gone. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I'm fine," I said, moving back to my bed. "I'm tired though." Papa walked over to me and lifted me up, placing me in the pile of blankets on my bed. He brought a blanket over me. "Then why don't you get some more sleep?" he said, smiling. He kissed my forehead and left the room, closing the door behind him. I looked around the room. The walls were a light red and a fan was in the middle of the ceiling. The mirror hung over a desk with a brush and hair accessories for when Papa tried to be more dad-like. Pictures, all of them of me and Papa, hung on the walls. Over my bed, Papa had nailed a State Alchemist watch. I reached up and pulled it off my wall, holding it close to me as I fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Now the dream sequence is the same format as a flashback. I'll try never to put them in the same chapter and if I do, I'll make it obvious if it's a flashback or dream.**

_There was a dark cell. The lighting in the place was red, like blood. A man sat in the corner, his back to me. I opened the cell. The man slowly turned toward me and his eyes, which glowed bright red, got wide. "What are you doing here?" he asked. I took a step toward him. "No...Stay back!" he yelled. I lunged for him. My hands pierced his skin and my teeth dug into his throat. Blood splattered everywhere. I tore his body apart, throwing him across the cell. I stared at him, bleeding and broken on the ground. I bent down and put a hand on the floor. His blood started glowing. I smiled as he stared at me in horror, his body glowing. "Angel," he whispered before his entire body blew into pieces. _

I sat up screaming. Blood covered my nightgown. Sunlight peeked into my room through my blinds. Papa opened my door. "Viper?" he said. My hands shook and tears welled in my eyes. He walked over to me and scooped me up from my bed, holding me close as I cried. He carried me downstairs to the kitchen, Ed and Al sitting at the table. He set me down and grabbed a cloth. He started wiping the blood off of my arms. "What happened?" Al asked. "She must've dug into her arms while sleeping," Papa said. "She does that sometimes." He wiped my tears away and picked me back up. "You're okay," he whispered as I clung onto him. He grabbed a glass of water off of the table and gave it to me. "Come on. Let's get you dressed." He carried me back upstairs.

*Ed's P.O.V.*

I stared after Mustang as he carried Viper upstairs. "There's something going on," I said. "What do you mean?" Al asked. "Mustang knows something. He's just not telling us," I said. "Remember what Viper's dad said? That she was a monster? Maybe Mustang knows how." "But you said so yourself. Mustang would never tell us," Al said. "So how are we supposed to know?" "We'll have to do some investigating then. We need answers," I said. "Why is this so important to you?" Al asked. "What if she has something to do with the philosopher's stone?" I said. "Her father could've done something to make her the way she is. He was desperate after her mother died." "You think her father used the stone on her?" he asked. "It's possible," I said. "But we'll never know if we don't try to get some answers. And if that is the case, then it's possible that she could lead us to it." "So what's the plan?" Al asked. "We get all of the information we can out of Mustang. And if it doesn't prove to be enough to go any further, we might just have to get Viper to tell us herself," I said. "With her father dead, Mustang and she are the only ones that can give us any information." "But Viper doesn't even like us," Al said. "How are we supposed to get any information out of her?" "We'll just have to find a way," I said. "And that's that."


	7. Chapter 7

Viper and Mustang came downstairs. Viper's hair was brushed and she wore a black dress with short sleeves. She wore black boots and fingerless lace gloves. She held Mustang's hand in her strong grip. He paid no attention to it. "So when are you two leaving?" Mustang asked. "Why? You sick of us already?" I asked, smiling. He smirked. "No. I actually want you to do me a favor," he said. "Sure. What is it?" I asked. "Now just hear me out," he said. "I want you to take Viper with you." I stared at him. Viper's head turned to look up at him. "What?" Al asked.

*Viper's P.O.V.*

"You want me to leave?" I asked. "Don't you want me anymore Papa?" He looked at me. "Of course I still want you," he said. "Then why do you want me to go with them?" I asked, tears welling up in my eyes. "If you wanted me, you'd want me to stay." He knelt down to be at my eye level. "It's for your own good. Your own protection," he said. "I don't understand," I said, a tear falling down my cheek. He wiped it away with his gloved hand. "You just have to trust me," he said. "Don't we get a say in this?" Ed asked. Papa looked at them. "You wanted to know more about her. Here's your chance," he said. "Plus, I think it'd be better for you if you got on her good side." I looked at Ed and Al. Al looked at me while Ed glared at Papa. I gripped his hand even tighter.

**Yes. It's short. I know. Sorry. There wasn't much to put.**


	8. Chapter 8

I stared at the train. "You'll be ok," Papa said, standing behind me. "They'll take good care of you." "I don't want to leave you Papa," I said, looking up at him. He knelt down to me. "The boys will bring you back. And when they do, I'll be right here waiting for you," he said. "I promise we won't be separated for long. It's just for a while." He hugged me. "I love you," I said, wrapping my arms tightly around him. "I love you too," he said. He kissed my forehead and stood up. We looked at the boys who were standing by the train. "Al," Papa said. They looked over. Papa handed him my bag. "Carry this for her," he said. His eyes glanced to Ed. "Take care of her. Guard her with your life," he said. Ed had a slight glare but he nodded. The train blew its whistle. "Time for you all to go," he said. The boys headed onto the train, Al waiting by the entrance for me. "Be strong Viper. I know you can do this," Papa said. He moved away. I felt cold and alone with the absence of Papa. I whipped around, Papa staring at me. "Papa," I said. He waved me on. I looked at Al, who put his hand out. I walked to him and placed my hand into his. His fingers closed around my hand and he led me onto the train. We got to a booth, Ed already sitting and staring out of the window. I sat down and scooted to the window, looking out to Papa. He smiled and waved. Al sat next to me. The train started moving. "Bye Papa," I whispered. I looked away from the window as the train left the station. My eyes glanced to Ed who was staring at me. "What?" I asked. "Did you kill your father?" he asked. I stared at him.

*Ed's P.O.V.*

Her eyes were glued to me, as if she was stunned by the question. I thought I saw anger flicker in them. "No," she said. The tension was clear in the air. Passengers that walked by became uncomfortable as soon as they looked upon us. "Viper, why don't you tell us more about yourself?" Al said, trying to diffuse the situation. "What do you want to know?" she asked looking at her. "Everything," I said. She looked at me. Her eyes were piercing, like they were searching into my mind, trying to find my intentions, my innermost thoughts. 'What is with her? It's like she's pushing herself into my mind,' I thought. "Tell us about your childhood," Al finally said, breaking the connection. She gazed down. "I don't remember it," she said. "Any of it?" I asked. She shook her head. "It's all a blur," she said. "The first thing I remember was lying in bed…My parents smiling at me. My mother started crying and hugging me. I think I had been sick or something. But my body really hurt. I asked why Momma was crying. She said that she thought she had lost me. So…I guess I was close to dying." "How?" Al asked. "I don't know," she said. "But I had to stay in bed for a few days. My legs and arms were still healing. It had looked as if someone had ripped parts of my skin and muscle off of them. And I was coughing up blood. A lot of blood." She looked at us. "What?" she asked, seeing our looks of astonishment. "Your story. It just sounds…unreal," I said. "Well it happened," she said. "So you don't remember anything from before then?" Al asked. "Nope. I started having nightmares, and I thought maybe they were old memories. But I would've never survived the nightmares I have," she said. Al and I looked at each other.


	9. Chapter 9

"What kind of nightmares?" Al asked. She looked away from us. "The one I have most...I..." she started. She looked at us. "I don't want to talk about it." She got up and walked away. Al looked at me. "What do you think?" he asked. "There's something she's not telling us. Something in those nightmares," I said. "I think that she never had nightmares. That she did something." "Why would she lie? She really didn't seem to want to talk about it," Al said. "Why wouldn't she tell us if she did something?" "She doesn't want to accuse herself," I said. "Well if she won't tell us, maybe she feels guilty about it," he said. "I mean, anyone else would tell if they felt pride in what they did." "It's all part of her act Al," I said. "The innocent little girl. She killed her father. She did horrible things in her past that she won't say." "She's my age though. What could she have done?" he asked. "A lot," I said.

*Viper's P.O.V.*  
>I locked the door to the bathroom. I turned on the sink and splashed cold water on my face. I looked in the mirror.<p>

_A woman's body laid on the floor, blood dripping from her neck. A child was on top of her, his arms bleeding and tears falling from his eyes. "You killed my Momma," he cried. "So? That's going to make me feel sorry for you?" a voice said, more like a growl than anything. A knife shined in the light. The boy stared in fear. I saw my reflection in his eyes as the knife was brought down to his chest._

I screamed and broke the mirror with my fist. I stared at the broken pieces and felt a small stream of blood dripping off of my hand. My reflection had morphed into a monstrous creature with sharp teeth and a blood-thirsty look in its eyes. "Viper?" a voice said. It was Al. I peeled my eyes away from the mirror and opened the door to see the boy of hollow armor standing in front of me. "What happened to your hand?" he asked, seeing the blood. I looked down at it and then back at him. "Nothing," I said. I walked away from him, back towards our seats. I was knocked slightly off balance, quickly regaining my footing. I looked over to a little boy who had fallen from his seat. "Sorry lady," he said. I stared at him, haunted by his appearance, my hands shaking. 'The little boy…' I thought. _"You killed my Momma," he cried, his eyes staring at me. _I backed away and ran. I ran past Ed to a door. "Viper?" I heard him call. I opened the door and took a step out, only to almost fall due to the space between the train cars. "Viper, get away from there!" Ed said. I looked at the tracks that seemed to speed from under the train. I looked to my left and saw a ladder. I grabbed it and climbed up. "Viper!" Ed called, following me. I stood on top of the train, the wind whipping my hair around and trying its hardest to knock me off my feet. "Viper!" Ed screamed at me from the ladder. I looked at him. "What are you doing?" he screamed. "Get away from me Ed!" I screamed back. "I'm supposed to protect you!" he yelled. "That's my job! That's what Mustang wanted! He wanted you to be safe! What would he think if he saw you right now?" I stared at him. The train hit a bump on one side, tilting it slightly. I lost my footing and fell over the edge. "Viper!" I heard Ed yell. Two arms caught me and then brought me inside. I clung to the figure that had saved me, my eyes glued shut. I heard the door open. "Viper?" I heard Ed say. "I got her." Al's voice said. I opened my eyes to see myself reflected in Al's chest plate. I looked up at him, and saw him looking back at me. "We promised Mustang we'd protect you," he said. He put me down. Ed walked up to us. "What were you thinking?" he yelled. "Do you know how stupid that was?" "Brother, stop," Al said. Ed looked at Al. "She's safe. And that's all that matters." I took Al's hand.

*Ed's POV*

I stared at the two of them. Viper's grip around Al's hand looked strong enough to break through it. "We're taking her back," I said. Viper's eyes snapped up to me. "We can't," Al said. "We have to take her with us. Mustang wanted us to." "I don't care what Mustang wanted!" I yelled. "She's going back." "No I'm not," Viper said. I looked at her, her eyes once again filled with rage and hate. "You'll follow Papa's orders. Whether you like it or not." She let go of Al's hand and walked back to our seats. Al turned to follow her. "Al," I said. He looked at me. "Did you see that look in her eyes?" "What look?" he asked. "She...She had all of this anger. Like she was going to snap and kill me right on the spot," I said. "It already looked like she was going to crush your hand." "Brother, maybe you're hallucinating," he said. "She's not dangerous like you think." "I don't know Al," I said. "I feel like we need to keep a close eye on her." I peered past Al to see Viper watching us, glaring at me. "A real close eye."


	10. Chapter 10

I stared out of the window. The moon was bright out and let me see through the trees. I looked over to Viper, who was sleeping against Al. Al just held his arms around her. "Why are you holding her?" I whispered. "I think it'll help her sleep," he whispered. "I'm not sure we'd be able to handle one of her nightmares." "And you think holding her is going to stop them?" I asked. Al reached under the table and pulled out a piece of paper from one of Viper's bags. He handed me it. "What's this?" I asked, unfolding it. "A note Mustang put in her bag. It has some tips to control her a little," he said. "Mostly for when she gets her violent outbursts and nightmares." I looked at the note.  
><em><strong>Al,<br>I know you'll have a better time actually following this list considering your brother's opinions on Viper already. She's my pride and joy so I want you to take care of her. At night, to lessen the chance of one of her nightmares, hold her. I found it worked a few nights after she started living with me. She'll still have them time from time but not as frequently as she could. If she starts bleeding at any time, for any reason, just wipe away the blood. Her wounds will heal soon after they form. If she has any sort of outburst while she's awake, pin her down. It'll be hard, trust me. She's broken a couple of my bones before fighting me off. But do whatever you can to pin her. It's mainly her arms you need to bind. I'm sure if you tell Ed this, he'll happily do it. Make sure she's happy and safe Al. I'm counting on you two. She can't protect herself from everything.  
>Mustang<br>**_I looked up at Viper, still sleeping soundly in Al's arms. "What is it?" Al asked. "Why send her to us if she's such a threat…or at threat?" I said. "It doesn't make sense. I mean, if she wasn't safe, sending on her on the road isn't a good idea." "Well maybe he thinks she'll be safer with us," he said. "We already stopped her from falling off the train." "But she would've never been on the roof if it wasn't for her being here," I said. "There's more to this girl. More than Mustang is telling us anyway."

*Viper's POV*  
><em>"Go on Angel," my mother said. I looked back to see her and my father watching me, smiling. I smiled and ran forward to catch a butterfly. I leapt for it, only to miss it by an inch. I landed in front of a few figures dressed in black, leathery outfits, their eyes red. "Very good Angel," one said. I felt a heat behind me. I turned around. A town was on fire and blood was everywhere. The figures laughed as I stared at a woman's head, the eyes staring at me and the body, a few feet over, being engulfed by flames.<em>

I opened my eyes, seeing my reflection. I pressed my forehead to Al's chest plate, feeling the coolness of the metal. "Good morning," Al said, looking down at me. "Hi," I said. I sat up, the sun glaring through the train window. I crawled over Al's lap and got out of the seat, stretching my arms and legs. One of my bags landed by my feet. "Get dressed," Ed said, getting back in the seat. "We'll be there soon." I took my bag with me to the bathroom and put on a new outfit after wiping my body down with a damp washcloth. I put on a dark red tank top, a black skirt with black leggings under, and my black knee high boots. I grabbed my fingerless lace gloves that went all the way up to my arm until right under my shoulder. I grabbed a jacket and put it on. I brushed my hair and went back out to Ed and Al. "Are you sure you want to wear that?" Ed asked. "What's wrong with this?" I asked. "It's just really hot out," Ed said. "Heat doesn't bother me," I said. "I'm used to it. I always cover my arms. I'm not comfortable with them uncovered." "Okay. If you're sure," he said. Al grabbed my bags as the train stopped. I took his other hand. Al became stiff for a slight second. "What's wrong?" I asked. Ed looked at us. "Nothing," he said. "The armor just stuck for a moment." "I'll check it out when we stop," Ed said. "Let's go." We walked off the train. "Now what?" I asked as Al put down my bags. "We find somewhere to stay," Ed said. I looked around and felt strange. "I feel like I know this place," I said. "Where are we?" "Youswell," Ed said. I looked around. "I do know this place," I said. I ran away from the city. "Viper! Wait!" Al called after me. I finally stopped running, a broken down house in front of me. The brothers caught up to me. "What is wrong with you? We get off the train and you decide to run the opposite way of how we came?" Ed yelled. "Well! What was that about?" "This is my house," I said quietly. Ed looked at me, dumbstruck. "Are you sure?" Al asked. "I mean, it looks like no one has been here in ten or so years." "I'm sure," I said. "This was my home."


	11. Chapter 11

I reached out with my hand and grabbed the doorknob. I turned it, the door creaking open. I walked into the house. Everything was dusty and covered in cobwebs. The wood of the stairs and floor was falling apart. The paint on the walls was chipped off. I looked at the hallway that led to the kitchen.

_I stood against the wall, five years old. "Momma, how tall have I gotten?" I asked. My mother laughed. "You're the same height you were this morning," she said. "Don't worry. You'll grow in no time." _

I rubbed my hand on the markings on the wall. I walked into the kitchen.

"_Momma, can I have some juice?" I asked, four years old. My mother smiled at me. "Wouldn't you rather have milk?" she asked. "It'll make you big and strong." "Just like me," my father said, picking me up and putting me on his shoulders. I laughed._

I walked up the stairs connecting the kitchen to the hallway upstairs. I opened the first door. It was my old room. My bed was still against the wall.

"_Whee!" I yelled, my father carrying me to the bed. He dropped me and I bounced on the mattress. "Again!" I said, reaching up to him. "No," he said, smiling. "It's time for bed." He tucked me in and kissed my forehead. "I love you Papa," I said. "I love you too," he said. _

I closed the door and walked over to the door at the end of the hall. I opened the door to see my parents' room. Their bed was still in the center.

_I ran into my mother's room, ten years old. "Momma! I made you some flowers!" I said, holding roses in my hand. My mother gave me a weak smile. "Thank you sweetie," she said. She coughed. "Well I was thinking, maybe they'll make you better," I said. "Brighten up the room." She reached out and put her hand on my cheek. "I love you," she said. "I love you too Momma," I said._

I closed the door and went back downstairs. I saw a door. Ed and Al stood at the doorway of the front door, watching. I opened the door to a dark passageway with stairs. I went down the stairs slowly. I reached the bottom and reached out, searching for a light. I felt candles on the wall. I bit my finger, piercing the skin and causing it to bleed. The blood that came out glowed slightly, transmuting into a match. I bit the inside of my cheek, transmuting the blood into gasoline. I lit the match and then blew out the gasoline, causing the fire to spray and light the candles on the wall.

*Ed's POV*

"Should we go after her?" Al asked as we stared at the dark passageway. "No. Viper will be fine," I said. "This is her house. She knows her way around." We heard a scream. "Viper?" Al called. He ran down the stairs. I ran after him. We got to the bottom. It was a basement. At the far wall was dried blood. It covered the floor and the wall. Candles were lined on the wall and various chains came down from the ceiling. The walls were covered with papers full of notes. "Where is she?" I asked. Al looked around. "Viper?" he asked, softly. I looked in the direction he was. Viper was sitting in the corner of the basement, her knees pulled up to her chest and her hands tangled in her hair. "Viper?" Al asked again, slowly going toward her. He reached out slowly and softly put his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped up, looking at Al. She flung her arms around Al and cried. He wrapped his arms around her. I looked back at the blood. _'This must be where her father tried to bring back her mother,'_ I thought. _'That's why she freaked.'_ I looked back at Viper and Al. "Let's get out of here," I said. Al picked Viper up and carried her out of the house, me soon following. "Maybe we should try to call Mustang," Al suggested. I looked at Viper, still crying in Al's arms. I nodded.


	12. Chapter 12

I listened to the phone ringing. "Colonel Roy Mustang," a voice said. "Mustang, it's Ed." I said. "Ed? What is it?" he asked, his voice having slight fear in it. "It's about Viper," I said. "We arrived in Youswell and she found her childhood home." "Her…her home?" he asked. "Yeah. She was fine…Until she went down to the basement," I said. "She freaked once she went down." "Ed, how could you let her go?" he asked, his voice sounding with more concern than anger. "We didn't know Mustang," I said. "We just thought it'd be better if we let her talk to you." "Put her on," Mustang said. I held out the phone to Viper. "It's Mustang," I told her. She reached out and took the phone. "Papa?" she asked.

*Viper's POV*

"Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?" Papa asked. "Okay I guess. Ed and Al are taking good care of me," I said. "I miss you." "I miss you too," he said. "So you went back to your house?" "I didn't know it was still there. And then once I saw it, I didn't know what would still be in there," I said. "I shouldn't have gone." "It's okay. What's important is that you're okay," he said. "I love you." "I love you too Papa," I said. "I'll see you soon okay?" he asked. "Promise?" I asked. "Super swear," he said. "Bye Papa," I said. "Goodbye Viper," he said. I handed the phone back to Ed and then crawled back into Al's arms.

*Ed's POV*

"Ed, I want you to do something for me," Mustang said. "What?" I asked. "Blow up the house," he said. "And then get out of Youswell." "But we just got here," I said. "Don't argue. Just do it," he said. "I have my reasons." "Okay," I said, knowing that I couldn't win a fight with him. I hung up the phone and looked at Al, holding Viper still. Viper looked at me. "We have to destroy your house."

**So I was going to try and follow with the episodes but that's going to be too difficult for me. I don't have that much time, especially not since school is starting soon (next month) Hopefully you guys won't mind. A lot of fanfiction doesn't follow the episodes though so... :)**


	13. Chapter 13

I stood behind Viper with Al. "Are you sure about this?" I asked. She nodded. "I have to do this myself," she said.

*Viper's POV*

I walked into the house, heading straight for the kitchen. I opened the drawer, finding a knife. I went down to the basement. I looked at the area and took a deep breath. I dragged the knife against my arm, my skin opening and blood dripping down. I put my hand in the puddle, as the wound on my arm healed itself. The blood glowed and turned into a bundle of dynamite. I lit the fuse. I gave one last look at the house and then ran upstairs. I ran out of the door, the house exploding about ten seconds later. Debris struck my skin, piercing it in multiple places. Al had protected Ed by putting himself in front of him. Once debris stopped flying, Al and Ed helped me pull out the pieces of glass and wood from my body. My skin healed itself. "Okay. Now, we have to leave," Ed said. "Already?" I asked. "We just got here." "Mustang told us to leave once we destroyed the house," he said. "Trust me. It's probably for the best." I looked at my home town. I nodded. "You're right," I said, giving Ed a shocked look. "You're really not going to fight me on this?" he asked. I shook my head. "Papa knows what's best. Every time I have disobeyed him, something goes wrong," I said. "He has his reasons." Al took my hand. I looked at the city one more time, only to see two figures staring back at me. I let go of Al's hand and looked at the two. A pain coursed through my head and I heard a loud ringing. I covered my ears and closed my eyes, clenching my teeth. "Viper?" Al asked. I opened my eyes, seeing red. The taller figure smiled. I ran towards them. "Viper!" Ed called after me. The brothers started running after me. The figures ran once I got close enough. I followed them as well as I could. I smiled as I saw them turn down a dead-end alley. I turned and they were gone. The ringing and pain disappeared, along with the redness of the area. "Viper! What are you doing?" Ed asked as the brothers caught up with me. "I thought...I thought I saw..." I said. I couldn't think of what I had thought the figures were. "Saw what?" Al asked. I shook my head slightly. "I don't know," I said. "Come on, let's go," Ed said. I took Al's hand. "Yeah...Yeah let's go," I said.

**What do you think she saw? Reviews are appreciated but not mandatory, so don't feel pressured. And no, you don't have to answer that question. Only in your mind :)**


	14. Chapter 14

I looked out the train window, watching my hometown as we left it behind. Al sat beside me, watching me. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I'm fine Al," I said. "Just thinking." Ed was across from us, his eyes closed like he was trying to sleep. I looked at Al and then leaned against him. He put his arm around me and I leaned against his chest plate. I put my hand on him, feeling the cold steel. "Do you ever miss your body?" I asked. "I mean, it must be hard to just be an empty shell." Ed's eyes snapped open. My eyesight started becoming tinted with red. "You must feel horrible for making your brother this way," I said. "To take away your brother's body. To leave him so breakable." "Viper, what's wrong with you?" Al said, his voice quivering. Ed glared at me. "He's so vulnerable now," I said. "All someone has to do is wipe away the little seal." "Stop it!" Ed yelled, slamming his hands on the table. "You think I don't know that?" I glared at Ed while getting up. "You're just like my father. Sacrificing things that are so precious, just to fill your selfish needs," I said. I walked away, straight to the bathroom. My stomach heaved and I threw up blood in the sink.

*Ed's POV*

"She's just having a hard time," Al said. I looked at him. "That doesn't make it right," I said. "She can't just say things like that and expect it to be okay. I don't know what Mustang's rules with her were, but I won't tolerate it." "Brother, she just destroyed her house. You have to give her time to adjust to her situation," he said. "She grew up with a mother, who died and transmuted back into a monster, and a father, who abused her blood transmutations for his own reasons and died at a beast's hands. She relied on Mustang after she killed her mother and now she has to rely on us. It's has to be odd for her." "We're adjusting too Al," I said. I got up. "I'm going to go talk to her." I walked in the same direction that she took off in. "Wait!" Al said, immediately getting up to follow me. "Maybe we should just wait for her to come back." "No way," I said. I pounded on the bathroom door. "Viper! Open up!" I yelled, not caring about any of the stares I was getting from the other passengers. "Brother," Al said quietly. "Let's go sit back down. I'm sure she'll be out in a second." "Viper!" I continued yelling while pounding on the door. The door opened, and Al and I were speechless. Viper, from her chin to her shoes, was covered in blood. Blood was smeared in the bathroom, mostly in the sink. "What happened?" I asked. "Don't worry about it," she said. "It's an easy clean-up process." She put her hand on the door frame and all of the blood in the room glowed, including the blood on her. It all vanished. "There," she said. "What did you do to it?" Al asked. "I turned it into oxygen," she said. "A big, big supply of oxygen." She walked past us, back to our seats. "Go back to our seats Al," I said. "Brother?" Al asked. "I'll be there soon," I said. "I need to make a phone call."


	15. Chapter 15

"She looked like something out of a horror story," I said into the phone. "What did you stick us with, Mustang?" "Ed, it happens. She has an extreme amount of blood in her system. She has to expel it sometimes," Mustang said. "It's normal." "It is not normal for someone to puke up blood," I said. "The whole sink was full." "Ed, it's normal for her," he said. "You just have to get used to it. And that takes time." "Time? How much time?" I said. "I can't have her puking up blood all of the time." "Then find a way for her to expel her excess blood before it builds up too much," Mustang said. "When she was here, we'd open up multiple wounds that way more blood would get out before her body healed itself. I also had her in controlled fights. You don't want her getting rid of that much blood at a time, then you have to accommodate to her needs and get rid of it yourself." I stayed silent. "Listen. I put her in your care for a reason. I know you can do this," he said. "You just have to work at it a little. She'll have a few mood swings and her blood builds rapidly. But I have faith in you. And apparently so does Viper since she's still there." "Okay. I understand," I said. "Good bye Mustang." "Good bye Ed. Tell Viper I miss her," he said. I hung up the phone and walked back to the booth. Viper was staring out of the window and Al sat next to her, her hand on his. "Mustang misses you," I said as I sat down. Viper looked at me and smiled softly. She looked down at the table. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said what I did." I looked at her. "It's okay," I said.

*Viper's P.O.V.*

I looked at Ed. He had forgiven me as quickly as Al had, which I hadn't expected. He looked back at me and smiled a bit. "It's a lot to adjust to," he said. "We all have stuff to deal with now." I smiled softly. "Yeah. We do," I said. Ed held out his hand to me. I smiled bigger and took it. He grasped my wrist and held my arm. "What are you doing?" I asked. He raised his other arm, the one made of automail. It was in the shape of a dagger. "Brother, what are you doing?" Al asked, sounding a little panicked. Ed dragged the tip of the blade across my arm, blood immediately coming out. "Brother!" Al said. "She has to drain blood Al," Ed said. "Otherwise she'll keep having episodes like today." I grimaced a little at the pain, but watched as my skin healed itself. Ed collected the blood into a bottle and handed it to me once he put a lid on it. "Now you don't have to immediately use it," he said, as I took the bottle. I looked at my blood. "We'll need a lot more bottles," I said, looking at him. "I know. We'll buy some in the next town," he said. "But this will go a lot smoother now." I looked back at my blood, the red color practically glowing.


	16. Chapter 16

"_How useful is she?" a voice asked. My hands were tied as I stood next to my father and in front of shadowy people, a scowl on my face. "Very. Her blood is an equal exchange for everything," my father said. "She can heal her own wounds and has a very vicious temper." The figures looked at each other. "You wouldn't turn your back on one of your own kind," my father said. "Would you?" The figures were silent. "You can't abandon her. You'll need her!" my father yelled. "I didn't train her for nothing. Without this, my plan will never work." A hand touched my chin and one of the people made me look up at her. The woman smiled, her eyes gleaming red. "She'll be our Angel." _

I woke up with a jolt, sweaty and panting. I looked at Al and Ed, both were fast asleep. I rubbed my eyes and looked out of the train window. My hands were shaking. "Viper?" a voice asked. It was Ed. I looked at him. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah," I said, quietly so I wouldn't wake up Al. "Just a bad dream." Ed stared at me. "Do you want to call Mustang?" he asked. I froze for a second. "No. It's all right," I said. "It was just a dream." Ed smiled softly. "Well try to get back to sleep," he said. "It won't be long until we're in the next town." He closed his eyes and started to drift off. I looked at my hands, still shaking in my lap. I crawled under the table to the seat next to Ed and leaned on him, my head on his shoulder. He moved a bit, only to put his arm around me. I smiled and closed my eyes, glad to feel the warmth of another person. "Good night," I whispered. "Good night," he whispered back.

**Sorry for the short chapter. I'm working on it. I'm at school as I write this so my creativity is a little low due to lack of sleep. :P But there's always those short chapters. You just have to deal :) Don't worry. More is coming.**


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